Sweetest Gift

BY AIMEE SEAVEY PHOTOGRAPH BY COREY HENDRICKSON

s a young wife and mother in Peabody, Massachusetts, in the early 1960s, Alice Generazzo wasn’t passionate about cooking, but soon learned that it was enough to make a handful of dishes exceptionally well. Most of them reflected the tastes of her husband’s Italian roots—things like quarts of homemade tomato sauce, thick with sausages and meatballs. But somewhere along the way, a recipe for chocolate whoopie pies also became a family favorite, especially among her five children.

“I always used to tell people that my mother made the best whoopie pies,” remembers her daughter, MaryAnn, and, decades later, she still believes it. Those handheld chocolate cakes filled with thick cream were an eagerly anticipated childhood treat, made only a few times a year for special occasions. “They were so chocolaty,” she recalls, “and we didn’t have to cut them in half to share. They weren’t perfect circles, but they were all the same size, which was probably more important when you’re talking about five kids.”

Alice made her whoopie treats for several years, but eventually, to save time, she switched to graham-cracker-crust pies made with boxed pudding mix. But MaryAnn never forgot the memory of her childhood favorite. Late last year, when she came across her mother’s handwritten recipe card, it felt like a gift.

Now 88, with her baking days behind her, Alice struggles with Alzheimer’s disease and the increasing aches and pains of old age. On a good day, she remembers that MaryAnn is her daughter. On a bad day, it can take a minute.

“Having her recipe now is very special, but a little bittersweet,” MaryAnn says. “It makes me feel connected to her, and reminds me of being little and watching her in the kitchen, but it also makes me a little bit sad, because I’d love to know where she got the recipe in the first place, and I wish I could ask her.”

In place of that conversation, she brought the recipe home and framed it. “I’d never attempted to make them before, and I knew I wanted to do that with you,” she says, meaning me, because I’m her daughter.

So that’s exactly what we did one Saturday afternoon. Together, in my mother’s kitchen, we made a batch of Alice’s Whoopie Pies, and then, because you can lose your memory but never your sweet tooth, we wrapped up a few of the best ones to bring to her.

Taking a bite myself, I delight in the chocolate cake and sugary cream, but more than that, I savor the experience. The tradition. And, of course, the love. I think it’s true: You really can taste it.

ALICE’S OLD-FASHIONED WHOOPIE PIES

TOTAL TIME : 1 HOUR ;

HAND - ON TIME : 30 MINUTES

FOR THE CAKES:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addi- tion. Add the vanilla extract; then add the milk and the dry ingredients, alternating, and mix until just combined.

Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter, roughly 3 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

FOR THE FILLING:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the flour and milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, like pudding, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and press through a finemesh strainer into a mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, add the remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy and creamy, about 10 minutes.

Spread filling onto the flat bottom of one cake; then top with another. Repeat with the remaining filling and cakes. For a nicer presentation, put the filling into a large zip-top bag, snip off one corner, and pipe a thick spiral onto the flat bottom of one cake, then top with another. Repeat with the remaining filling and cakes.

Yield: about 15 pies

Looking for more New England recipes like this one? Each issue, we profile a family favorite in our “Recipe With a History” column. We’re looking for great stories that capture the spirit of our region and its people. Got a family story that you’d like to share? E-mail editors@yankeepub.com and put “Recipe With a History” in the subject heading.